Month: September 2015

PUTATIVE is today’s juicy word. It sounds kind of crisp, like a potato chip, don’t you think? Maybe I’m just hungry. Anyway, it’s a noun meaning alleged, supposed or commonly accepted; assumed to exist or to have existed. The putative existence of a sugar-daddy was the explanation given by detractors…

SUZERAIN is the juicy word for today. I bet you haven’t heard that one in a while, or maybe ever. It actually stands for a feudal lord, but since we don’t have too many of those around anymore, it can be used in the form of another noun: suzerainty.…

Today’s juicy word is UNCTUOUS as in fatty or oily; or insincerely smooth in speech or manner. Someone who is unctuous would feign sincerity. A hypocrite is a perfect example of someone who is unctuous. The politician unctuously promised to support gay rights knowing full well that he voted…

FRISSON is today’s juicy word, a noun meaning a shiver, shudder, a palpitation, or a thrill. Yes, it can also be used as a verb. One of my favorite mystery authors, the late P.D. James, used this word frequently. It sounds so very British, don’t you think? With the frisson…

Today’s juicy word is BELLICOSE, an adjective meaning favoring or inclined to start arguments or wars. It is said that arguments are not started by the first one to speak. They are started by the second. The bellicose men in the picture demonstrate that it takes two to make an…

The juicy word for today, OROTUND, is an adjective referring to being pompous or sonorous. It can also be used as a noun, as in orotundity. We have all known a few orotund people—you know the ones who assume their status in life makes them superior to other mortals. (The…

The PUISSANCE of tri-athletes is truly astounding. Their ability to push themselves for hours on end like energizer bunnies while accomplishing various feats that defy human endurance can best be understood by the average mother. The meaning of puissance is to have the capacity for exertion, endurance, and strength. Try…